Issues Affecting Women as They Age

"Working to address financial and health care concerns facing older
women and women as they age."

History

In 1999, the Women’s Bar Association of
Illinois ("WBAI") and The Chicago Bar Association ("CBA") established
the Joint Task Force on Older Women’s Issues to address financial
and health care concerns facing older women and women as they age. The
multidisciplinary Task Force was created through the collaborative
efforts of Sharon Eiseman, 1999 President of the WBAI, and Kerry Peck,
1999 President of the CBA. The successor presidents and board of both
bar associations have continued to wholeheartedly embrace and promote
the Task Force and its mission. The CBA has generously contributed
substantial resources to the ongoing operations of the Task
Force.

Issues

The Task Force has taken on such issues as pension
inequities impacting women; defined benefit versus defined contribution
plans for retirement; a study of the social security system and how
privatization may affect women; changes in laws that will improve
financial security for divorced women; educational initiatives in health
care; employment issues; financial exploitation of the elderly and elder
abuse.

Task Force Members

Participants on the multi-disciplinary Task Force include attorneys
who specialize in elder law, family law, and pension and marital asset
assessment; financial consultants; actuaries; health benefit
consultants; representatives, directors and staff from various
governmental agencies and offices; professors and students from local
law schools; representatives of state and local government; and
representatives, directors and staff of various nonprofit organizations.
The Task Force is still growing in strength and membership.

Educational Programs

The Task Force hosted its first education symposium for the public
and the legal community in October of 2002 at Loyola University Chicago.
"Social Security and Securing Your Financial Future," provided an
overview of the social security system followed by discussion on the
status of women and why they fare differently under Social Security than
men. The program was sponsored by the Actuarial Foundation, The
Retirement Research Foundation, AARP, OWL (Older Women’s League),
and Loyola University Chicago’s Elder Law Initiative.

The Task Force’s second education symposium took place in
October 2003. "Women and the Workforce" educated women, employers and
the general public about the state of employment opportunities and work
conditions for women as they age and included discussions on how to
improve future employment opportunities and benefits for older working
women. The program was sponsored by The Retirement Research Foundation,
AARP, CVS Pharmacy and Loyola University Chicago.

In 2005, the Task Force is hosting an educational series to examine
hot button issues concerning health care for the American woman. This
series of programs has been designated as 2005 White House Conference on
Aging (WHCOA) events which will allow the Task Force to officially
submit input to the President and the United States Congress as they
develop policy relating to aging issues at the decennial WHCOA. The
series will provide attendees with up-to-date information about the
topics addressed, and with a forum through which attendees may voice
concerns about current systems and suggest possible changes. Topics to
be addressed include: long term care; Medicare and Medicaid; access to
affordable, quality health care; health care literacy and more.

Cable TV Project

One of the first major projects the Task Force, completed in 2001,
was the taping of a series of cable programs that focus specifically on
physical and mental health care matters and crimes against the elderly.
Concerns in these areas affect women disproportionately because women
tend to outlive their male spouses or partners, and are poorer as well.
Women are also more commonly the ones who serve as caregivers, both to
their children and to their aging and ailing parents. All of these
vulnerable women can become empowered through information about their
rights and available support services, and those who provide services to
them will also benefit from additional information on these
subjects.

The programs in this Cable Project were telecast on The Chicago Bar
Association’s Cable TV program called "You and the Law." All of
the programs feature professionals in the field of elder care engaging
in a discussion about problems encountered by older women--and men--and
their caregivers, and options available for solving the problems. Each
program uses realistic hypotheticals as teaching tools. Through a
generous grant from the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of
Labor, the programs tapes were provided free of charge to approximately
40 senior centers, libraries and social service agencies throughout
Chicago for educational use by and for the public, and for clients and
staff of facilities as appropriate.